A Chinese court has sentenced a former mining magnate with suspected ties to the eldest son of retired security chief, Zhou Yongkang, to death.
Liu Han was charged with leading a gang on a crime spree spanning more than a decade. The death sentence is the culmination of one of the highest-profile cases against a private businessman since President Xi Jinping took office last year and began a campaign against graft.
Liu Wei, Liu Han's brother, was also sentenced to death.
The Liu brothers and 34 other defendants were accused of crimes including organizing, leading and participating in a criminal gang and intentional homicide.
The president's crackdown has zeroed in on Sichuan province, where Liu's company is based.
Sichuan was a power base for Zhou Yongkang, who stands at the center of the biggest corruption scandal in more than six decades. --RTHK